Chapter 4: Forgiven
Hank already had a sheet pulled down over the med table by the time Rogue and Bobby got to the medlabs with Mickie. Mickie gritted her teeth in anguish as they laid her as gently as they could onto the biobed. "What happened?' Rogue asked her as Hank began to scan the injured hip with a scanner.
"Derek and his crew were, like, totally rude," Jubilee broke in. "They didn't believe me when I told 'em Mickie was a shapeshifter, and they all like, took off after her when she tried to run away."
Mickie took up the thread of the story, gritting her teeth as Hank started to feel his way down her hip with his hand. "They chased me. I tried to get back to the house, but one of them tackled me, and when he went down OWWW!"
Hank stepped back. "I am extremely sorry, my dear," he said. "But if you had tensed up before I snapped your leg back into its socket, you would have been in much more pain. As it is back in place now, the pain should be fading."
Mickie flexed her leg tentatively. "The pain's almost completely gone," she said wonderingly. "How'd you do that?"
Hank took off the latex gloves he wore. "The pain was coming from the stretched nerves in your tendons and muscles. Once those tendons didn't have to stretch anymore to keep your leg attached to your body, you stopped feeling the pain."
"I did," Mickie said wonderingly. "It feels just as good as new now!"
Hank raised an eyebrow. "You are 'as good as new' now, my dear," he said. "However, I do think you should take it easy for a few days. No strenuous activity--"
Jean and Scott chose just that moment to burst in on them, and Mickie pulled the shirt further down, hastily. She wasn't wearing anything but Bobby's shirt, and she would be really embarrassed if anyone saw anything they shouldn't. And since she didn't have fur now, the blush would really show.
Scott saw Bobby and Jubilee there, next to Rogue, and started to say something to them, but Jean hushed him with a touch on his arm. "Not now, Scott. Hank, what happened?"
"Our young student was assaulted by Derek's crew, if I am not mistaken," Hank said grimly. "They tried to grab Mickie, and got hold of her leg. In the scuffle, it was dislocated. The pain caused her to revert to her normal form. Jean, you really must speak to Charles about that group of young men; they should not be able to get away with this kind of behavior."
"I'll do that," Jean said determinedly. The current emergency cared for, she turned to the three guilty-looking kids. "You three have an apology to make?"
There was silence for a moment, then Bobby spoke sheepishly. "We were just fooling around, Scott. We didn't mean any harm. It's just…school's out for the summer, and we just…kinda went a little crazy."
Jubilee piped up, "I'm sorry, Scott. It was just a joke, we used washable ink so it wouldn't ruin your pants. I hope it all washes out."
Mickie sat up, dangling her feet over the edge of the exam table, and admitted, "I was in on it, too. We snuck out this morning to the garage and did it. I'm sorry."
Scott surveyed the three guilty faces with a stern look, which softened as he took in Mickie's crestfallen look and sheepish face. "Jean said you were to wash my bike. Did you do that?" They nodded.
"All right. I think you've been punished enough, Mickie. Bobby, Jubilee, you two really ought to know better…" Jean stopped him with a touch on his arm.
"Go ahead. You're excused. Just…don't fool around with the cars and stuff in the garage, okay?" the three kids looked slightly disbelieving at the way they'd gotten off so easily, but didn't dare argue. Jean smiled. "All right. Get going. Scott, Hank, let's go talk to Charles about Derek's crew…"
The doors to the medlabs closed behind Bobby's back, and Jubilee blew out her breath in a huge sigh. "Wow! I thought we were in for it! Thank God for Jean!"
"I'll say," Bobby said. "Hey, I'll see you girls in a little while, okay? I gotta go find another shirt."
"I have to go get some clothes on." Mickie said to Jubilee. "Come on in." She opened her room door and allowed the other girl to walk in.
She plunked down on the bed and pulled out Mickie's suitcase from under it. "Good thing your parents packed your clothes and stuff. Wouldn't it be embarrassing if, like, you didn't have any clothes right now? I mean, I could lend you some of my stuff, but you're taller than I am, and my stuff wouldn't fit you. Not well, anyway…" Mickie listened to the other girl ramble on as she grabbed a handful of clothing from the open suitcase, ducked into the bathroom and pulled off Bobby's shirt, replacing it with her own underclothing.
After a month of wearing nothing but her own fur, it felt strange wearing clothes again. Strange, but good. She slipped into the shirt, and was mildly surprised to find that it was entirely too tight across her shoulders. Her jeans were too tight across her hips, and two inches too short in the leg. She groaned as she opened the bathroom door and stepped out. "My clothes don't fit anymore!" she wailed.
She turned to look into the mirror, and almost gasped. She'd certainly grown! At least two inches. Her midnight black hair, a gift from her mother's Native American heritage, had gotten at least an inch longer, and the blue highlights in it were picked out even more prominently by the bright, early-afternoon sun streaming in her window.
"Wow," Jubilee looked impressed. "You're prettier as a girl than you were as a cat." She walked up and stood next to Mickie in front of the mirror. "You know, except for the height, people would almost think we were twins?"
Mickie looked at their reflections, then shook her head. "You're Asian, even with those blue eyes. Mine are a little lighter than yours. My mother's Native American, so my skin's a bit darker than yours, and…" she broke off as the other girl waved a hand in the air, chuckling.
"All right, I get it already! But we do look a little alike, you know that?"
Mickie nodded just as a knock sounded at the door. "Jubes? Mickie?" It was Bobby's voice.
"Come on in," Mickie said. He opened the door.
"Uh, Rogue wants us downstairs. Charles and Jean and Scott and Rogue are having a discussion down there, and they want to know exactly what happened."
Mickie sighed, giving a last, completely ineffectual tug at her too-tight shirt. "We're coming."
Four heads turned toward the three teenagers as they knocked, then walked into, Charles's study. Mickie looked around. She hadn't realized the study was so big; she'd assumed that it just seemed big to someone in the body of a little cat. "You wanted to see us, Headmaster?"
"School is not in session," Charles said. "You may call me Mr. Xavier, or Charles if you wish. I am gratified to see you have regained your human form."
"Mr. Xavier, then," Mickie said, seating herself in one of the burgundy plush chairs in front of his desk. "And you have no idea how gratified I am to be back!" That elicited a wry chuckle from all the adults. Jean was sitting beside Scott, Hank was sitting in a much more substantially built wing chair on the side of Charles's desk, and Rogue was sitting on the desk itself, her legs dangling over the side.
"Could you please tell us what happened this afternoon?" Charles said.
"Derek and Kenny and Lester and Justin were teasing us about getting in trouble again--" Bobby began.
"They were so ignorant, they started making fun of us, like, and I told 'em to get lost--" Jubilee said indignantly.
"They called me pussy!" Mickie blurted. "I hate being called pussy!"
Xavier raised a hand to stem the torrent of words, and when the room was quiet again, he said, "Bobby. Go ahead, please."
"Well, we were outside, washing the ink off Scott's bike when Derek and his crew came up. They immediately started teasing me and Jubes about getting in trouble again, and Jubilee told them to grow up and get lost. Then Justin saw Mickie sitting beside the driveway, and he tried to reach for her. Jubilee told him Mickie wasn't a cat, but he didn't believe her, and he tried to grab her. Mickie started to run, and they all chased her out into the orchard. Jubilee and I were afraid something might happen, like they did to Amara the last time, but she runs fast, and they followed her. I heard her scream, and we came running up, and Mickie was lying in the grass all crumpled up, like, and she was crying. I told Jubilee to go get Jean."
Xavier turned to Mickie. "What did happen?"
"The boys were chasing me," Mickie said angrily, "And the boy in the front...I don't know his name…tried to grab me in a flying tackle. He grabbed my right back leg. He was still grabbing it when he hit the ground, and it hurt so much I guess my body just changed back in shock."
"Rogue came up just then and sent them all to their rooms and she told me to go let Hank know what happened while she and Bobby got Mickie up and took her down to the infirmary." Jubilee finished.
Xavier sighed. "Jean, would you call the boys down here?"
Jean's eyes went unfocused for a moment as she reached out telepathically. "They disobeyed you," she said suddenly, to Rogue. "They're not in their rooms, they're…" her lips tightened, and her green eyes got hard. "They're ransacking Mickie's room!"
Mickie jumped up out of her chair. "What?!"
Scott and Jean and Rogue were already half out of their chairs. Xavier waved them out. "Go on, deal with them. Jean, link with me so I can see what's going on."
"Will do, Charles," Jean said.
Mickie stared in horror as Bobby flung open her room door. Her clothes were flung all over the bed, dresser, chair, and nightstand; all her bras were strewn on the floor, and two of the boys were playing with her teddy bear! She shrieked indignantly as she raced in, snatching the bear they were throwing in the air and hugging him protectively, too furious to speak.
Bobby was under no such handicap. "Derek! What the hell are you doing in here, have you lost your mind!? You're not supposed to invade another student's room! And look what you've done!"
Derek actually had the presence of mind to look a tiny bit guilty, although it wasn't as guilty as he should have been feeling. "We just wanted to see if she's really a girl, man, we saw the litterbox in the bathroom… You use the litterbox when you're in human form too, pussy?" He snickered. He didn't see Scott and Jean exchange looks with Rogue behind Bobby.
WHAM!
Derek lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. Why was he lying on the floor? A milisecond later pain exploded in his jaw and he rubbed it as he stared up at Bobby, standing over him ready to whack him another one.
Scott stepped into the bedroom and caught Bobby's arm as he was winding up for another punch. "Bobby, ease up. We got it from here." Turning to the downed boy, he said coolly, "Get up."
Derek climbed to his feet, ashen-faced, wondering how much of the exchange Scott had seen. "He hit me..." he started to whine. Scott cut him off.
"He had every right to. You've wrecked another student's room…a female student, may I add…and insulted her, as well as assaulting her and causing her serious bodily harm. You've gone too far this time, Derek."
Jean eased around the doorframe, absently noting the way Mickie had drawn close to Bobby, and the way Bobby had put an arm around her shoulders. She had something else to take care of; she'd think about that later. For now, though…"We got a call from your parents, they'll be here at three this afternoon. You will go up to your rooms and stay there," she said, her stern tone allowing for no argument. "When your parents come you will be leaving with them, and you will not be returning for the fall term. Charles has decided that this school is not the right place for you, and your parents will be informed of the many infractions you have made on the rules." She stepped aside, and gestured to the door. Rogue moved aside. The four boys turned silently and left. Jean nodded silently to Rogue, then she and Scott walked out right after the boys, probably to make sure they did make it to their rooms.
Rogue put her hands on her hips. "What a mess. Sugah, do yah need help cleanin' up?"
Mickie sat down on the end of her bed hard, feeling tears well up in her eyes. "They just…went through my room…like that…they didn't even stop to think…" Rogue sat beside her on the bed, hugging her, being careful not to touch her skin. "It's okay, sugah. They won't bother you again. Charles is kickin' them out." Mickie hugged her teddy bear to her chest, fighting back the tears. Bobby sat down on her other side and hugged her, and she hugged him back.
Rogue patted her back, tried to tug the end of the shirt down over the exposed skin of Mickie's lower back, and frowned when the tight shirt refused to go down. "Sugah, how long did yah get stuck in cat form?"
"A month."
Rogue sniffed. "Yah clothes don't fit anymore."
"I know." Mickie wiped away the last of her tears. "Mom and Dad gave Mr. Xavier some extra money to get me clothes if mine don't fit anymore, but I don't know how to ask him for some."
"Ah'll do it," Rogue patted her back and stood up. "Bobby. Yah got any plans for this aftahnoon?"
"No, why?" Bobby asked her.
"Well, yah just got yah license, figure yah might get some practice takin' Mickie…and Jubes…" she added quickly, seeing the younger girl's hopeful look, "…to the mall tah pick up some new clothes."
"Really?' Bobby brightened. He didn't get permission to go out without one of the 'adults' often, and he looked considerably brighter.
Rogue shook a finger at him. "Yah know what takin' girls shoppin' is like. Consider it a punishment for messin' with Scott's bike. Y'all get the room cleaned up, toss out the old stuff that don't fit, an' I'll be back soon with the money yer parents left yah, Mickie."
"That's awfully nice of you," Mickie said, sniffling. Rogue smiled and left the room.
Jubilee started gathering up clothes. "C'mon. Let's get this cleaned up. The sooner we get this clean, the sooner we can go to the mall!"